Grand-Bassam () is a town in southeastern Ivory Coast, lying east of Abidjan. It is a sub-prefecture of and the seat of Grand-Bassam Department; it is also a commune. During the late 19th century, Grand-Bassam was briefly the French colonial capital of Ivory Coast. Because of its outstanding examples of colonial architecture and town-planning, and the juxtaposition of the colonial town with a traditional Nzema village, the historic center of Grand-Bassam was designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2012.
In 2021, the population of the sub-prefecture of Grand-Bassam was 124,567.
In 1899, the colonial administration was transferred to the nearby town, Bingerville, after a devastating outbreak of yellow fever, which decimated the town's population. However, the town remained a key seaport until the growth of Abidjan in the 1930s. The town has the aura of a ghost town, since large sections have been abandoned for decades. In 1960, with independence, all remaining administrative offices were transferred to Abidjan, and for many years Grand-Bassam was inhabited only by squatters. Beginning in the late 1970s, the town began to revive as a tourist destination and craft centre.
In March 2016, the town was targeted in an Islamist mass shooting that perpretated by AQIM, which killed 19 people.
Sports
- Woody Cote d'Ivoire
Villages
The eight villages of the sub-prefecture of Grand-Bassam and their population in 2014 were:
- Azuretti (1.168)
- Ebrah (805)
- Gbamblé (341)
- Grand-Bassam (74.671)
- Modeste (1.981)
- Mondoukou (1.400)
- Vitré 1 (2.482)
- Vitré 2 (1.180)
Notable people
- Cédric Marshall Kissy, poet